America's most prescribed drugs in 2018.
 

America’s Most Prescribed Drugs in 2018 - A-Plus Corporation

I find this interesting. I take pills daily for high blood pressure, thyroid, cholestorol and Gerd. I find many of my friends do as well. I see here I have a lot of company.

I recently had a surgery that Hydrocodone was prescribed and due to the pain I took it for three days and switched then to Extra Strength Tylenol. I am very wary of getting hooked on pain killers.

I feel fortunate that at 76 my physician tells me I need no drugs of any kind. Several of my close friends need no medications either.

Wow. To what do you attribute this good fortune?

Do you mind sharing your cholesterol numbers?

Mine were never high but I was prescribed statins as a preventive measure. Statistics show that deaths from heart disease have dropped since Statins.

Interesting.


For the last 15 years, the number one drug was for depression. The was true for my company, nationally and regionally.



I wonder which data is correct.






:ho:

I saw that and wondered too. Zoloft is not mentioned and it is one of the most prescribed as you say. It is astounding how many use it. AND how much it helps both anxiety AND depression.

When we did our annual review, I always found it interesting because it's "never discussed". The silent disorder/disease.

It depends who funds the study

According to Wikipedia, Zoloft was the most prescribed psychiatric medication in 2016. But that doesn't mean it was the most prescribed medication.

Looking at that chart, you can see that 3 out of the top 5 prescriptions treat high blood pressure. This doesn't surprise me at all, especially when combined with the #1 prescription, which treats high cholesterol.

But it's also important to note that some prescriptions don't need to be taken daily, or even weekly - and obviously those prescriptions won't ever make the top 10 list, because they don't need to be prescribed as often.

I'm also surprised that insulin isn't on the list, though Metformin has gained popularity among people with type II Diabetes.

Also I checked that article from the pharmaceutical sales company linked in the OP, and traced the source of the list. When I linked to that source I saw that list, in a different order, as of 2011 not 2018. So I'm not sure where the sales company got their data from since it clearly didn't come from the link they provided.

Probably true...............sad.




Our data was our Health Care coverage provider's book of business.

The February lab results showed my cholesterol was 169. I have no idea of the HDL/LDL ratio. Frankly I do not pay any attention. I just listen to my physician. I eat whatever I want, drink alcoholic beverages in moderation and exercise regularly. I enjoy yoga and meditate some. Both keep me calm and relaxed. Frankly, I believe high levels of stress and obesity producing high salt, sugar, and fat, low nutrient diets to be responsible for many health issues in the United States.

Doing actual research to dig into facts...is harshing on my mellow.

I think I need go see if I can get me...one of those anti-depression drugs. :D

I'm confused. I'm not sure I understand the point of this thread. Should I ask my doctor to prescribe all of these drugs for me, or should I ask him not to prescribe them?

///

I believe it's always good to be educated on the medications our providers want to prescribe for us. I tend to weigh side-effects vs the benefits and then want conversation with my doctor re: this. Did you all know that many times dr's don't know all that much except what the drug rep. tells them???

We can alter what's happening in our bodies by changing our eating habits AND perhaps using supplements as well. I know this will rattle "some" people's thoughts but it's true. I once was on 15 drugs and now I'm down to 5. I have a couple of autoimmune issues going on so can't stop those meds.

The point was for me was to see what are the most prescribed drugs. Most older adults that I have talked to take the same three; Statins, Bloodpressure medication and medicine to combat heartburn.

Statins have reduced the amount of heart related deaths considerably in the last few decades. No one should "TAKE" any drugs unless their doctors prescribe them. I think the need for medication is very individual and can be affected by diet and lifestyle and even genetics and of course AGE.

I have decent cholesterol readings and so does my husband, but we both take statins as a preventive measure for two completely different reasons. He was born with only one coronary artery. I am not any kind of medical professional but have always been interested in cardiac health because our youngest was born with a serious congenital heart defect and stenosed blood vessels too, due to Williams Syndrome.

Some people read the sports page, I read the New England Journal of Medicine. If we were all the same...you know the rest.

I am on or have been on a few of those on the this. I am not surprised as I take 52 pills a day among other things. I was on more but have been able to eliminate a few.

I agree that doctors don't really know much about the drugs they prescribe, because they don't do much follow-up. They can prescribe a drug, the patient could die, and they may not even know it. But, I don't agree about the published side effects, because I think they are often written by lawyers to protect the drug company from lawsuits. Also, regarding supplements, I don't think you ever know what you are getting, because the ingredients are not regulated and controlled by the FDA.

Many women I know are on antidepressants. Whether they truly need them or not I do not know but I remember when they had not yet been invented and people seemed happy enough. I shudder when I recall some who considered themselves overweight taking Fen Phen. My doctor is very conservative about prescribing medication unless a patient really needs it as many times once a person is on it they cannot get off it. He has told me a couple of times to lose a few pounds to lower my blood pressure as it was 130 over 90. I did and it went back down to 120 over 80. Common sense. He and I laugh about certain pain killers often prescribed as they don’t really kill the pain. They make you just not care you have the pain and constipate the heck out of you. Lol

Some time ago I read some book about Blue Zones where people live long healthy lives. The people eat fresh food, lead very low stress lives, are socially connected to extended family and friends and are physically active. They do not have high level healthcare facilities nearby. Their lifestyle keeps them healthy, not medications.

What is really astounding is that so many people are unaware that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (not traditional talk therapy) is more effective than meds in most cases of anxiety and/or depression.

Might be why some people have trouble with my posts - I actually check links, sources, resources, and raw data. I never believe statistics until I can check the source of the data (and the sources usually prove the statistics inaccurate).

I am a harshmallow, hah! Happy thanksgiving!

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy was much more used thirty years ago than now. A couple of weeks ago an old friend who is a psychologist was telling us at lunch about a case history she had recently read about two families who had adopted a set of identical twins whose father was in jail for life for murder. One family was very well off, their son was their only child and he had a stay at home mother, and very good schools and constant love and supervision. The other twin was adopted by a family of small means and not as much time to spend with him and they already had
three other children.

We waited to hear the outcome of these two young men in their thirties.

She told us that they had both been arrested for violent crimes, one for murder.

YEP...and...YEP. :thumbup:

Gracie did you see the documentary from a few years back "Three Identical Strangers"?

Pretty crazy.

I did. I had forgotten about that.

three identical strangers documentary - Bing video

Though the most prescribe drug would be preparation H :1rotfl:

Isn’t that over the counter?

Probably the under the counter drugs are the most popular, methamphetamines, crack cocaine, heroine, etc.

An elderly gentleman went in to the Pharmacy and said to the pharmacist " i have a problem and i have heard about a little blue pill that may solve it. Is it true?

Yes , it will solve your problem, very successful." Said the pharmacist.

Well, can I get it over the counter? Said the gentleman.

Yes, said the pharmacist, if you take TWO.

I was prescribed Lipitor about 20 years ago. When I researched the drug, I stopped taking it and changed my diet. At that time, my total cholesterol was 240, a year later it was 150. 20 years later, it is always under 200. My Dr agrees, I do not need a statin. My cholesterol is checked every 2 weeks when I donate Blood Platelets.